Despite a history of bullying and significant social stigma, our research shows that furries benefit from fandom participation and interaction with like-minded others in a recreational environment, which is associated with greater self-esteem and greater life satisfaction.
Contrasting stereotypes that portray the fandom as being simply a fetish, the most-cited draw to the furry fandom is its sense of belongingness, recreation, and escape from the mundaneness of daily life, as well as its appreciation of anthropomorphic art and stories.
As a result of interacting with a community that values tolerance, acceptance, and open-mindedness, interaction with the furry fandom is associated with global citizenship—a sense of responsibility to act toward the betterment of the world e. Most furries represent themselves and interact with the fandom using fursonas that represent idealized versions of themselves—usually more outgoing, sociable, extraverted and confident than themselves.
Our research suggests that to the extent that furries identify with these idealized versions of themselves, they experience greater self-esteem and life satisfaction. Furries, while having more active fantasy lives, are no more likely than the general population to engage in pathological forms of fantasy e. It's really awesome to know that we furries have some support outside of just ourselves to get a better understanding of our community.
Shout out to furscience and the great work they do for our community both internally and with the public. Adult interest in anthropomorphic animal characters isn't as unusual as one might think—actually, it goes back to childhood.
Children have been entertained by humanlike animals for generations. A few standout examples are the decades of animated cartoons and movies produced by Walt Disney and Warner Brothers, classic animal stories like Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit , and video games like Sonic the Hedgehog.
Perhaps you enjoyed these diversions while eating a bowl of cereal promoted by a talking "silly rabbit" or a tiger named Tony. The fact is people from an early age have always been amused by anthropomorphic animals and evidently for furries the fascination with them burns strong beyond childhood.
What makes the furry community different from other fan-based ones such as those of the comic or sci-fi genres is that typically furries create personalized animal characters which are referred to as a fursona a portmanteau of the words furry and persona.
A furry's fursona is drawn from animals in nature or mythology that exhibit certain characteristics that they personally identify with, and they project their personalized fursonas, in appearance and behavior, in social interactions within the furry community in a variety of ways, such as through costume design, interactive role play, artwork, and creative writing.
Some popular fursona species are the wolf, fox, cat, dog, tiger, lion, rabbit, and horse; hybrid mixes are also welcomed into the community. Not all furries manifest their fursonas in the same way. Some see being a furry as a pastime and may only engage their fursona in online role play or chat, or they may participate in furry meet-ups or conventions wearing only a badge depicting their fursona, and maybe other representative accessories—such as a mask, animal ears, and a tail.
Others embrace being a furry as a lifestyle and act out their fursonas in full costume—that is, in their customized fursuit. In the broadest sense, a furry is someone with an interest in anthropomorphized animals — that is, animals who have been given human characteristics, like an ability to talk or walk on their hind legs.
Furries are not always in costume. Only about 30 percent of LAFF [Lake Area Furry Friends] members and about 20 percent of furries nationally, according to cultural studies and furry-convention organizers wear full animal costumes to furry events. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.
By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Share this story Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share All sharing options Share All sharing options for: 9 questions about furries you were too embarrassed to ask. Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. Fur-suiters at Anthrocon Douglas Muth Fur-suiting and the furry community tend to be conflated in the popular press, but research by the International Anthropomorphic Research Project, which studies the furry fandom, suggests fur-suiters are a minority of that community.
Furries are typically subject to media portrayals that overemphasize the sexual aspect of the fandom, such as this bit from 30 Rock: Furry Josh Strom explained to Boing Boing's Lisa Katayama , "We go to conventions to hang out with friends, maybe buy something like art or badges, go to a discussion panel or see a show.
Nearly half of male furries, and a large majority of women, reported that sexual content played little or no role in their introduction to the fandom: International Anthropomorphic Research Project 3 So what is a furry, then? A fursona inspired by The Lion King Nala15 A fursona is a " furry-themed avatar " which furries use "to represent themselves when interacting with other members of the fandom," according to a recent paper by social psychologist Plante and fellow Anthropomorphic Research Project members Dr.
Here's Bucktown Tiger, a furry pianist, performing a movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata at Anthrocon, the world's largest furry convention held in Pittsburgh every year, in 6 So being a furry isn't really about sex. What do furry fans actually do, then? GreenReaper Surveys suggest that furries are overwhelmingly male and white, are disproportionately likely to be gay, bi, or trans, and skew younger, with an average age in the mids.
And they're much likelier than the public at large to report a non-straight sexual orientation, with well under 30 percent reporting exclusive heterosexuality: International Anthropomorphic Research Project A later study, conducted in early July at Anthrocon , found that almost 90 percent of respondents identified as white. Next Up In Culture. Delivered Fridays. Thanks for signing up! Check your inbox for a welcome email. Email required. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy.
For more newsletters, check out our newsletters page. The Latest. Animals need infrastructure, too By Ben Goldfarb. The big questions about Covid booster shots By German Lopez. Why movies tilt the camera like this By Marie Cascione. However plastic cutting boards can harbor bacteria as much as and even more than wood, especially when they get furry from long-time use.
From Huffington Post. All furry friends must be leashed but can join guardians on designated hiking and cross-country ski trails. From San Francisco Chronicle. One thing those of us who have lost a furry friend already know is that it hurts.
From Chicago Tribune. In fact, your furry friend might just be sitting on your computer demanding your attention as we speak. From Business Insider. People looking for a furry companion are allowed kitty cuddle time on adoption days.
From CBS News. The so-called trap-neuter-and-release efforts are designed to stabilize the city's cat population while utilizing the furry creatures' prowess in rat-control. From New York Daily News. But is it weird for our furry friends? From CNN. Still, there are other ways the furry community is markedly different from the general population. And why had nothing else furry followed it? From National Geographic. Well regardless, you probably wouldn't want to give any of these furry little guys to children.
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